Sound Forge Audio Studio and Sound Forge 2026 are not two tiers of one current product. Audio Studio is the old MAGIX budget line: version 17 is its last confirmed release, it still sells at a handful of retailers, and it is not part of the current Boris FX store lineup, which lists Sound Forge and Sound Forge Plus. Sound Forge 2026 is the current release, the one that used to carry the "Pro" name. If a search result still presents MAGIX as the current owner of the new Sound Forge lineup, its ownership and pricing information is out of date. MAGIX pages can still be relevant for Audio Studio 17, Pro 18 and other pre-2026 releases.
Last verified: July 23, 2026. Prices and availability change often, so confirm against the official pages before you buy.
TL;DR: Boris FX bought Sound Forge from MAGIX on March 30, 2026. Its current store lists two editions, Sound Forge and Sound Forge Plus, both from the old Pro line. Audio Studio is not in that lineup, and version 17 is its last confirmed release. You can still buy it from some retailers for around $59.99, and it still runs on Windows 10 and 11, but it is outside Boris FX active development. If you want a current, supported product, the base Sound Forge 2026 is the closest option in the family, though it continues the Pro line rather than Audio Studio's budget tier. If Audio Studio 17 already covers your work, nothing is forcing you to switch.
Part of the Sound Forge Pro 2026 Guide — start there if you’re new to the site.
This comparison is part of the Sound Forge Comparisons hub — the free, subscription, repair and version-vs-version breakdowns in one place.
What happened to Sound Forge Audio Studio
I bought Audio Studio 12 back in 2017, right after MAGIX took the line over from Sony, and ran the thing for the better part of six years before I moved up to Pro. So I have a soft spot for it. That does not change what happened this spring.
On March 30, 2026, Boris FX acquired Sound Forge, Vegas Pro and Acid Pro from MAGIX. When the new store went live, it listed two Sound Forge editions: Sound Forge and Sound Forge Plus. Both continue the old Pro workflow. Audio Studio was not among them. As of July 2026, Boris FX has not placed an Audio Studio edition in its public lineup, and Audio Studio 17, released during the MAGIX era in 2023, stands as the last confirmed version of the budget line. What Boris FX has not done is publish a clear statement about the future of the Audio Studio name. So treat its long-term status as unsettled rather than officially closed.
Sound Forge began at Sonic Foundry, later moved to Sony and then MAGIX, and was acquired by Boris FX in 2026, with the fuller version history there if you like the backstory. Audio Studio came through the first three handoffs intact. The fourth left it out of the catalog, with no word yet on whether that is permanent.
Is Sound Forge Audio Studio still sold in 2026?
Yes and no, which is the answer nobody wants. Boris FX does not sell it. But MAGIX still keeps the Audio Studio product page live in several regions, and some third-party retailers still move stock. When I checked in July, Newegg still showed an active Audio Studio 17 listing at $59.99 with an Add to Cart button, while other retailer pages sat somewhere between old stock and discontinued. B&H had marked at least some of its listings no longer available, and Sweetwater had pulled its page. A listing and a working cart are not the same as a guaranteed key, though, so before you buy, confirm the seller can still issue a valid activation code rather than trusting the price alone.
The support side is what actually matters here. MAGIX continues to host and service the pre-2026 releases. Boris FX says any future patches or bug fixes for those versions would have to come from MAGIX, while Boris FX development is focused on the current lineup. Neither company has published a maintenance roadmap for Audio Studio 17, so do not buy it expecting guaranteed future compatibility fixes.
Skip the "free full version" and cracked-installer sites entirely. Old MAGIX-era Audio Studio builds float around on download portals, and cracked installers and unofficial keys carry malware, license-revocation and reactivation risks, with no reliable support path when something breaks. If you want Audio Studio 17, buy it from a named retailer while the keys last, or don't bother.
How Audio Studio differed from Sound Forge Pro
I kept both installed for years, and the split was always the same: Audio Studio is the wave editor for home and hobby work, Pro is the one you reach for when a client is paying. Audio Studio handles recording, cutting, restoration and basic mastering. Pro adds the things that turn a hobby tool into a delivery tool: higher channel counts, a dedicated batch-processing workflow, scripting, and the repair tools you need on ugly source material. MAGIX's feature comparison and current Audio Studio 17 user reports place that batch-processing workflow in the Pro edition rather than Audio Studio. One MAGIX tutorial page confusingly labels a Batch Converter lesson for Audio Studio, Pro and Suite together, so verify the exact command in your installed Audio Studio build if batch conversion is essential to the purchase. Sound Forge 2026 continues that professional line, with 32-channel recording, batch processing and WaveColor visualization confirmed for the current release.
Here is the practical breakdown, Audio Studio 17 against the current base Sound Forge 2026:
| Feature | Audio Studio 17 | Sound Forge 2026 (base) |
|---|---|---|
| Current owner / status | MAGIX-era, not in Boris FX lineup | Boris FX, current release |
| Latest version | 17 (last confirmed) | 2026 |
| Perpetual price | ~$59.99 retail, while stock lasts | $299.95 |
| Subscription | None from Boris FX | $24.95/mo or $149.95/yr |
| Max recording channels | Up to 6 (5.1) | Up to 32 |
| Batch processing | No dedicated Pro-style batch processor | Batch processing and repeatable operations |
| Bundled tools & visualization | iZotope Ozone 10 Elements, wizardFX, loudness & mono meters | Restoration tools, repeatable workflows and WaveColor visualization |
| Platform | Windows 10 / 11 | Windows (check current requirements) |
| Development status | Not in Boris FX active development | Active under Boris FX |
A quick way to decide: stay on Audio Studio 17 if it already runs reliably, you work one file at a time, six channels are enough, and you do not need batch automation or current vendor development. Move to Sound Forge 2026 if you need 32-channel recording, batch processing, repeatable professional workflows, current updates, or a setup someone will still support in a few years.
Legacy Sound Forge Pro releases also carried advanced format and automation features such as DSD import and export. If those matter to your work, confirm they are present in the current Sound Forge 2026 documentation before you buy, since Boris FX has not restated the full Pro 18 feature list in one place.
For a lot of people, the six-channel ceiling never came up once. For straightforward mono voice recording, trimming, basic cleanup and stereo export, Audio Studio 17 may cover the full practical workflow without the professional edition. The gap becomes clear when you need higher channel counts, reusable operations, or automated processing across many files. Audio Studio 17 does not provide the full Pro batch-processing workflow described for Sound Forge 2026, so repeated processing across a folder commonly stays a file-by-file task.
Should you stay on Audio Studio 17?
If it does your work, staying put is a defensible call. I have edited 47-minute podcast interviews in Audio Studio without once wishing for Pro, and the loudness meter it added in version 17 is enough to hit a streaming LUFS target. It is listed as Windows 10 and 11 compatible, it can use ASIO hardware when your interface maker still ships a working driver, and it includes Ozone 10 Elements, wizardFX, loudness visualization and a mono compatibility meter. A working install does not suddenly stop running because ownership changed, though compatibility still depends on your Windows build, audio hardware and activation.
The problem is tense, not present. "Runs fine now" and "will run fine in three years" are different promises, and a product outside active development only makes the first one with any confidence. If a future Windows update trips something in the audio engine, there is no committed fix from either MAGIX or Boris FX. I ran Audio Studio 16 for two years past its release without issue, so this is not a next-week emergency. It is a slow expiry you should plan around rather than ignore.
Stay if the tool fits and you accept the ceiling. Start looking the moment you catch yourself working around a limit.
What to move to instead
For a Windows user who wants a current product in the same family with a live roadmap, the base Sound Forge 2026 is the closest option. Worth being clear about one thing: it continues the professional Pro line, not Audio Studio's budget tier, so this is a step up in both capability and price rather than a like-for-like replacement. The waveform editing, plugin chaining, restoration and batch processing all carry over, with more depth than Audio Studio had. The cost jump is real: $149.95 a year or $299.95 for a perpetual license, against Audio Studio's $59.99 one-time. Run the subscription-versus-perpetual math before you pick a model, because the answer flips depending on how long you plan to keep it.
Two honest caveats. First, the supported-OS picture is worth checking before you buy: the Boris FX and MAGIX materials are not fully consistent about whether the current release still supports Windows 10, so confirm against the current system requirements if you are on an older machine. Second, if you only ever used Audio Studio for light trimming and MP3 exports, Sound Forge 2026 is more editor than you need, and Audacity does the basics for free. If you need multitrack arrangement, that was never Sound Forge's job at any tier, and a DAW like Reaper fits better. The full menu of options sits in the alternatives guide.
One more thing worth checking if you own an Audio Studio license. Boris FX says customers who own any previous version of Sound Forge can buy a single simplified upgrade price through December 5, 2026, and that previous Sound Forge registrations are being added to customer accounts to support upgrade eligibility. Because the public wording does not explicitly exclude Audio Studio, check whether your Audio Studio serial appears in the account or is accepted by the webshop before paying full price for a new license. The same window applies to owners of the last MAGIX flagship, Sound Forge Pro 18, which still activates and runs but is no longer sold.
Sound Forge or Sound Forge Plus?
Once you accept the move to the 2026 line, there is a second fork, and it is smaller than the store makes it look. The core editor in Sound Forge and Sound Forge Plus is identical. Plus adds four bundled plugins: Celemony Melodyne 5 Essential for pitch, Vandal for amp simulation, VariVerb II and 3D Reverb. That works out to $50 more per year, or $100 more on a perpetual license ($199.95 versus $149.95 annually; $399.95 versus $299.95 perpetual).
Melodyne is the only line item that would pull me toward Plus, and only when I am doing pitch correction. Coming from Audio Studio, you almost certainly never had any of these four, so the base edition already lands as an upgrade. Buy Plus only if you know you want Melodyne. The tier breakdown walks through the rest.
Why search results still say MAGIX and mix up the versions
If this comparison felt harder to research than it should have, that is not you. The last time I searched "Sound Forge Audio Studio" myself, the first page threw at least four different owner names at me: Sony on the old forum posts, MAGIX on the store pages, Boris FX on the news, and Sonic Foundry buried in one history article. Several of those pages predate the March 2026 acquisition.
Search results mix historical Sony and MAGIX pages with current Boris FX material. Older pages can stay useful for the version they describe, but ownership, licensing, pricing and trial terms changed in 2026. On top of that, the two product lines never shared a version clock. Pro ran 12 through 18. Audio Studio ran on its own numbers up to 17. A page comparing "Sound Forge 15" could mean either line depending on the year it was written, and plenty of them do not say which.
The shortcut: check the date and the owner name on any Sound Forge page before you trust its prices or feature claims. A MAGIX-era page can still be correct about Audio Studio 17 or Pro 18 itself, but do not use it for current pricing, licensing or trial terms. Those changed with the acquisition, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the current Boris FX pages rather than older MAGIX product pages.
FAQ
Is Sound Forge Audio Studio discontinued?
Audio Studio is not part of the current Boris FX lineup, and version 17 is its last confirmed release. Boris FX has not published a clear statement about the future of the Audio Studio name, so "discontinued" is the likely reading rather than an officially confirmed one. Some retailers still sell version 17.
Can I still buy Sound Forge Audio Studio 17?
In many regions, yes, from third-party stores. As of July 2026, Newegg listed the perpetual download at $59.99, while some other retailer pages had been marked discontinued or no longer available. Buy from a named seller, not a "free full version" portal, and confirm the seller can issue a valid activation key before paying.
Is Audio Studio the same as Sound Forge 2026?
No. Audio Studio was the budget tier under MAGIX. Sound Forge 2026 continues the Pro line under Boris FX, with more channels, a full batch-processing workflow and stronger professional tooling. They share a family name and a similar interface, not a feature set or a price point.
Does Audio Studio 17 work on Windows 11?
Yes. Audio Studio 17 lists Windows 10 and Windows 11 as supported. Verify the ASIO driver separately for your exact audio interface, since that depends on the hardware maker rather than on Audio Studio. The current Sound Forge 2026 requirements are worth checking on their own if you are on Windows 10, since the published Boris FX and MAGIX materials are not fully consistent on that point.
Is there a Sound Forge Audio Studio 18?
No Audio Studio 18 has been confirmed. Pro reached version 18 as the last MAGIX release, but Audio Studio stopped at 17, and Boris FX has not announced an Audio Studio successor either way.
Should I upgrade from Audio Studio to Sound Forge 2026?
Upgrade if you want ongoing support, need features Audio Studio lacks such as batch processing, or you are concerned about future Windows compatibility. Hold if Audio Studio 17 covers your work and you accept that it is not in active development. If you do move, check whether your Audio Studio serial qualifies for the Boris FX simplified upgrade price before paying for a full new license. There is no forced migration. If you plan to rely on Audio Studio long term, keep your installer, serial number and purchase receipt somewhere safe and back up your projects, since old installers and activations can get harder to recover over time.
Related Sound Forge guides
- Sound Forge vs Sound Forge Plus: Which Tier Do You Need?
- Sound Forge Pro 18: Features, Price, and Whether You Should Still Buy It
- Sound Forge Pro Pricing 2026: Subscription vs Perpetual License
- Best Sound Forge Alternatives 2026: Free, Mac & Mastering
- Sound Forge Pro Review 2026 — Is It Still Worth It?
- Sound Forge Pro: The 2026 Guide (start here)